THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



67 



but al night they are aciive. The eggs are white, and are laid in batches 

 in cracks of the woodwork of the room. 



Wooden beds should be discarded, and ben^'ne should be carefully 

 applied at intervals to all the crevices, small as well as large. 



Carpet-beetles. — There are two species, the Buffalo Carpet-beetle 

 ( Anthrenus scropluilarice.) (Fig. 5) and the Black Carpet beetle f^//iZ^<f«//5 

 piceus). The f o r m e r 

 has become very abun- 

 dant in many sections of 

 the province, and con- 

 siderable damage has 

 been reported. The 



grub, or larva, does the ^ -««»- '/iliV 



harm, and is readily 



• 1 1 ,1 .■a- Fisr- s- — Buffalo Carpet-beetle, all stages, much magnified. 



recognized by the stiff " "^ • 



brown hairs that clothe the body. Its length is about one-quarter inch. 



Its habit is to cut long slits in the carpet, working along the cracks in che 



floor. 



The adult is a small, rather pretty beetle, about one-fifth of an inch 

 in length. The colour is black, mottled with red and white markings. 

 Many of the adults appear in the fall, and pass the winter as adults, while 

 others appear in the spring. In heated houses the beetles continue to 

 appear throughout the winter. In spring thousands of the beetles may 

 frequently be observed on the blossoms of Spiraeas and many other 

 plants ; and no doubt many adults fly into houses from these plants 

 through the open windows. 



To rid an infested house of these beetles, it is necessary to take up the 

 carpets, thoroughly beat them out of doors, and to spray them with benzine- 

 The floors should be swept carefully, the cracks dusted out, sprayed 

 with benzine, and filled up with putty or plaster of Paris. Since damage 

 is done mainly along the borders of the rooms, the carpets should be 

 examined from time to time. It is advisable to replace the carpets with 

 rugs, as the latter are easily taken up and beaten. 



. The Black Carpet-beetle is frequently met with. The larva has a 

 long tuft at the hind end of the body, and is readily distinguished from the 

 Buffalo Carpet-beetle. The adult is a small, oval, black beetle, and has 

 been often noted as a pest in museums and flour-mills, in addition to 

 dwelling-houses. 



